Job-seekers to get training on dos and don’ts of interviews

Job-seekers to get training on dos and don’ts of interviews

Malaysian job-seekers, notorious for poor interview etiquette, including turning up late or not showing up at all for appointments, will be taught to be prepared and behave in a campaign by online employment portal Jobstreet.com next month to address complaints brought up by employers.

The “Be My Best @ Job Interviews” pledge campaign, a collaboration among Jobstreet, the Education Ministry and TalentCorp Malaysia, is in response to a recent survey which revealed that a whopping 87% of employers had encountered candidates who displayed poor behaviour at interviews.

The campaign will be launched on November 6.

“This is the first time that an initiative like this has been launched in Malaysia, to address issues of candidates’ poor interview etiquette – in particular ‘no-show’ attitude,” said Jobstreet country manager Chook Yuh Yng (pic).
“We want to educate candidates on the importance of good interview etiquette. By getting them to pledge, we want candidates to take their interview invitation seriously and do their best at interviews.”

In a survey conducted by Jobstreet in June among 500 employers from various industries, it was revealed that candidates not showing up for an interview topped the employers’ list of grievances.

The survey, which was carried out following complaints received from employers, found that 34% of employers said that a “no show” from candidates was their biggest complaint, hence the campaign theme: “Be serious, be prepared and be there”.

Other complaints included tardiness (14%), no proper attire (12%), not prepared (12%) and no response to interview invitation (7%).

The majority of the problematic candidates were junior executives (66%) and fresh graduates (62%), the survey showed.

“The aim of this programme is to educate candidates to be serious about their job application, to be prepared for the job interview by researching and understanding more about the company and to make sure they attend the interview upon receiving an invitation,” Jobstreet.com said.

“A badge will appear on his or her resume page (on Jobstreet.com) to show that the individual has taken the pledge. Employers will be able to see the badge on the individual’s resume and this in turn will help the candidate stand out from others.”

According to the Statistics Department, as of August 2014, Malaysia’s unemployment rate declined in August to 2.7% from 2.8% the previous month.

In a separate survey of candidates seeking jobs, 35% of those polled said they skipped interviews as they realised that the job was not at their preferred place, while 29% said they realised the job was unsuitable for them after hearing about it. – October 31, 2014.

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